By Evan Reid, Founder of Haul Handbook · Updated Sep 28, 2026
Minnesota apportioned registration is issued by DPS Driver and Vehicle Services, which also runs IFTA. Fees are Minnesota's and each member jurisdiction's registration fees apportioned by the fleet's share of distance in the July 1 to June 30 reporting year, or by average per vehicle distance for a new fleet. All Minnesota IRP registrations share one expiration at the end of February, and each vehicle gets an apportioned plate and a cab card listing every jurisdiction and its weight.
Minnesota IRP administration
- Agency
- Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services (IRP/IFTA office, also called Prorate)
- Office
- DVS IRP/IFTA central office, Town Square Building, 445 Minnesota Street, Suite 188, St. Paul, MN 55101. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., by appointment for in-person transactions; some deputy registrar offices also process IRP supplements.
- Process
- A new registrant submits the New IRP Registrant Account Packet with supporting documents to the IRP/IFTA office by fax, email, or mail. After approval DVS assigns an account number; pre-approval of a new account may take up to three weeks. Permanent credentials issue once documents are approved and the apportioned invoice is paid. Existing accounts can file supplements online through e-Services for Business once approved for access.
- Fee structure
- Registration fees are calculated for each member jurisdiction under its own fee rules and apportioned by the percentage of total distance in each, based on actual distance from the previous July 1 to June 30 (for registration year 2026, July 2024 through June 2025). A new fleet with no distance history uses average per vehicle distance. For Minnesota-plated trucks, the 2026 Resource Book states the registration fee is set by gross vehicle weight and model year.
- Fees: invoice items
- The apportioned invoice adds a $5 cab card fee per vehicle, a filing fee per transaction, and a $2.25 per vehicle registration technology surcharge, and can include county wheelage tax and a non-use fee.
- Fees: partial pay
- Renewals of at least $400 in Minnesota tax per fleet with a vehicle of 45,000 pounds or more may pay Minnesota tax in three installments (March 1, May 1, September 1) with a surety bond, certificate of deposit, or letter of credit covering the last two.
- Cab card
- When all fees are paid DVS issues a cab card and validation stickers for each vehicle; the cab card lists every IRP jurisdiction and the vehicle's gross weight for each. A paper or electronic cab card, temporary credential, or trip permit must be carried at all times, and member jurisdictions must accept an electronic image. The 2026 Resource Book states a vehicle may run on a temporary cab card for no more than 60 days without a plate.
- Process: documents
- Articles of incorporation or organization, a Minnesota Secretary of State certificate of authority for a foreign corporation, the ownership or lease (12 months minimum) of the Minnesota business premises, a written statement listing permanent employees and their trucking duties, a power of attorney if a third party files, the DVS record keeping affidavit, proof of vehicle ownership, proof of HVUT (Form 2290) for vehicles of 55,000 pounds or more, and the USDOT number and FEIN for the carrier responsible for safety.
To work through your mileage inputs, calculate each jurisdiction’s share of your fleet miles. The estimator apportions any full-year fees you enter; it does not contain state fee schedules or issue an official quote.
More Minnesota IRP rules
- Temporary credentials: summary
- Supplements filed by mail, email, or fax get a temporary registration cab card valid for immediate operation without a plate while the plate, stickers, and cab card are mailed. A registered vehicle may add weight above 80,000 pounds for 30, 60, or 90 days at $4.17 per ton per 30 days plus a $12 filing fee; the weight increase does not replace the MnDOT overweight permit.
- Contact: note
- The DPS IRP and IFTA page itself lists no phone number; it links the DVS IRP manual and IFTA manual, and both print 651-205-4141 as the IRP/IFTA office, as does MnDOT's 2026 Resource Book. It is not the MnDOT oversize and overweight permit line (651-296-6000). The IRP manual lists fax 651-797-1187 and dvs.prorate.audit@state.mn.us for the IRP auditors only; no general IRP email address was found on the pages checked. Hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., by appointment for in-person service.
Base jurisdiction, renewal, and audit in detail
The rules that decide whether Minnesota can be your base jurisdiction, what qualifies, and what happens at renewal and audit. Each one is sourced.
- Base jurisdiction rules: Summary
- Minnesota is the base state when the registrant has an established place of business in Minnesota and its vehicles accrue distance there. An applicant with no established place of business anywhere may base where it can show residence, where the fleet accrues distance, and where records are kept or made available, proving residence with a resident driver license or ID and at least two items such as tax returns filed from the address, utility bills, or a vehicle titled there.
- Base jurisdiction rules: Business premises
- An owned or leased physical structure in Minnesota with a street address (no PO box), clear company signage and posted hours; shared and virtual offices do not qualify. Fleet records must be kept there.
- Base jurisdiction rules: Evidence
- The office must be open and staffed at least 20 hours a week by one or more permanent employees handling the trucking business and answering phones.
- Qualifying vehicles: Summary
- A power unit used or intended for use in two or more member jurisdictions, carrying persons for hire or designed, used, or maintained primarily for property, that has two axles and over 26,000 pounds gross or registered gross weight, three or more axles regardless of weight, or is used in combination over 26,000 pounds. A lighter power unit may be apportioned at the registrant's option. Government-owned vehicles, recreational vehicles, and vehicles under separate reciprocity agreements are exempt.
- Qualifying vehicles: Intrastate alternative
- Commercial vehicles running only within Minnesota display Minnesota base plates from any deputy registrar, with the fee set by gross vehicle weight and model year. An out-of-state vehicle not apportioned with Minnesota may buy a 120-hour temporary registration trip permit (1/12 of the annual tax plus a $12 filing fee, one per 30 days per vehicle) or a 30, 60, or 90-day temporary registration.
- Renewal: Summary
- Minnesota IRP registrations expire on the last day of February, and each registrant files an annual renewal listing its vehicles, fleet distance, and declared weights. DVS mails the renewal packet by December 1 and asks for renewals by January 15; there is no grace period for fees due March 1, and an unpaid account is suspended after 30 days and revoked after 60. The IFTA renewal must be completed before the IRP renewal.
- Reciprocity: Summary
- Minnesota has border reciprocity agreements under Minn. Stat. 168.181 letting Minnesota intrastate-plated vehicles travel a limited distance into a neighboring jurisdiction without IRP or IFTA: within 20 miles of the border for North Dakota (registration and fuel) and South Dakota (registration only), and within 30 miles for Wisconsin (registration and fuel) and Iowa (fuel only). Reciprocity does not extend to intrastate operation, except Minnesota and North Dakota farm-plated vehicles hauling their own farm products, supplies, or equipment.
- Audit: Summary
- Distance records supporting the renewal must be kept for three years after the close of the registration year, which the manual and Resource Book describe as 5 1/2 years. GPS-based IRP distance records need a reading at least every 15 minutes with the engine on. Minnesota audits 3 percent of its IRP carrier base each year, and inadequate records bring an assessment of 20 percent of apportionable fees for a first offense, 50 percent for a second, and 100 percent for a third or later.
What the Minnesota share of the fee is built from
An IRP bill is the base jurisdiction's own registration fee for the vehicle, apportioned by mileage, plus the same for every other jurisdiction on the cab card. These are the Minnesota inputs to that calculation, each with its official source.
Opening a Minnesota IRP account
Minnesota is your base state only if you have an established place of business here and your trucks run miles here. The business premises rule is strict: an owned or leased building with a street address, company signage and posted hours, staffed by a permanent employee for a minimum number of hours each week, under a lease of at least a year. Shared and virtual offices do not qualify.
The packet asks for formation papers, the premises lease, a staffing statement, the DVS record keeping affidavit, vehicle ownership, proof of the heavy vehicle use tax where it applies, and the USDOT number and FEIN of the carrier responsible for safety.
Fees and the February renewal
Fees are each jurisdiction's own registration fee, apportioned by your share of miles there in the July through June reporting year; a new fleet uses average per-vehicle distance. The invoice adds a cab card fee, a filing fee and a technology surcharge per vehicle. Larger renewals can pay the Minnesota share in installments with a bond or letter of credit.
DVS mails renewal packets by the start of December and asks for them back by mid-January. There is no grace period on fees due in March, and an unpaid account is suspended and then revoked.
Border agreements and temporary credentials
Minnesota's border agreements let intrastate-plated trucks cross a short distance into North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Iowa without apportioned plates or IFTA, with the distance and coverage set state by state. They do not cover intrastate hauling inside the other state.
While plates are in the mail, a supplement filed by mail, email or fax gets a temporary cab card valid for immediate operation. Out-of-state trucks without Minnesota apportionment use the DVS trip permit or a 30, 60 or 90-day registration instead.
Reach the Minnesota IRP office
Account problems, supplement filings and credential replacements all route through the office that holds the account. Everything below is the agency's own published channel; where it publishes no phone line, the note says so rather than pointing at a permit vendor's number.
- Account transactions
- e-Services for Business: https://onlineservices.dps.mn.gov/EServices/Business/_/
- Notes
- The DPS IRP and IFTA page itself lists no phone number; it links the DVS IRP manual and IFTA manual, and both print 651-205-4141 as the IRP/IFTA office, as does MnDOT's 2026 Resource Book. It is not the MnDOT oversize and overweight permit line (651-296-6000). The IRP manual lists fax 651-797-1187 and dvs.prorate.audit@state.mn.us for the IRP auditors only; no general IRP email address was found on the pages checked. Hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., by appointment for in-person service.
What pairs with IRP
The same interstate operation that needs apportioned plates almost always needs an IFTA license through Minnesota, and heavy power units owe the federal Form 2290 heavy vehicle use tax before plates renew. To compare how other states run IRP, see the national IRP registration table.